Summary: It takes Gene and Sam a long time to work out what we’ve always known.

A/N: This is the first story I ever wrote, but it’s taken a long time to complete. The first story I posted, "What Do Girls Do?", started off as the sex scene for this story, but it didn’t fit. This story might be described as “Relationship Without Plot”. The district of Morton and the Red Lion are my own invention.

Thanks: Lots of thanks to Galacticowl and to Jools at TRA, who both read various scenes and provided suggestions and lots of encouragement, so I felt it was worth finishing the job. Also to Loz who despite preparing for her new job found time be the first person to read the whole thing through and provide some very positive feedback and some useful lessons in style. And finally to the fantastic Jayb111 who did a very thorough and much appreciated beta job.

Sorry, I couldn't work out how to put both bits of part 4 together in the same post.

Chapter 4b

Gene’s lips touched Sam’s, his tongue pushing gently between them as he pushed Sam back onto the pillow, stroking Sam’s hips and thighs as he did so. Sitting up again, he looked at Sam for a moment, taking in the finely-muscled shoulders and chest, the light covering of hair, the slim, unexpected strength of the man. Running both hands from Sam’s shoulders, down his ribs to his waist, Gene lay down, pulling Sam close. He couldn’t stop staring into Sam’s eyes as he reached down and took hold of Sam’s cock, laying it alongside his own. Sam took hold of his hand and they intertwined their fingers around both, already starting to move more urgently.

Gene strolled into CID, feeling more relaxed than he had in a long time. Looking around the room he saw Chris and Ray talking together as usual, but he made himself carry straight on into his office. He sat down at his desk, but didn’t immediately yell for the focus of this morning’s attention to hop to it. Instead, he spent a few minutes looking into space thoughtfully, scarcely believing the difference a few days could make.

A few minutes later Chris walked in, looking shifty – well, more shifty than usual. “Morning Guv”. “Chris”, replied Gene, trying not to smile, because he wouldn’t normally. Christ, that was going to be difficult; what was normal now anyway? Not him any more apparently; at the age of 44 he’d suddenly, quite without warning, turned queer. That could have been a big problem, but he was getting used to it already, funnily enough. Big problem is though, he thought, got to act natural, can’t go all Dorothy about the place in public, still got to be the grumpy hung-over bastard first thing in the morning.

Concentrating on his own thoughts, he stood up to leave the office, only noticing at the last moment the dithering idiot still standing in front of him. Focussing on the obstruction he said “What is it Chris, you got nothing to do or what? ‘Cos I can find you a job if you want”.

“No Guv, sorry, I was just wondering... Guv, you and the Boss, did you enjoy your night out?” Gene stood very still, his eyes narrowed. “Why do you ask?” he said quietly, menacingly. Chris backed off slightly, looking out through the blinds to where Ray was watching.

“Oh, no reason Guv, sorry, didn’t mean to ...It was just, like, I didn’t know where to suggest when the Boss asked me, so I told him I’d have a think for him. Then I went and asked Ray, quiet-like, and he said the Red Lion in Morton, he said that would suit the Boss right down to the ground, and then I went back and told him, the Boss I mean, not Ray. Only Ray said, don’t tell the Boss I told yer, else he’ll not go, so I didn’t. Tell him, that is.” Chris dried up, nervously. “Go on” said Gene quietly. “Well, the Boss in’t here is he, day off, so I thought I’d ask you, ‘cos -well, I thought, if it were good, like, if you liked it, the Red Lion I mean, well I could take this bird I met last week, well, if she wanted to that is...”

Gene stood looking at him, registering the chain of events. “I wouldn’t do that, Chris, if you want to ever see her again.” Gene told him. “I don’t think it would be your sort of place. And as it happens DC Skelton, it wasn’t my sort of place either, nor was it DI Tyler’s.” He stepped forward threateningly. “And you can tell DS Carling that from me. Got it?”

Gene sat down again, and took a sip of his coffee reflectively. So he’d been a bit unfair on Sam last night; he really hadn’t plotted it all from the beginning as Gene had accused him. Strange that the picky pain hadn’t mentioned that this morning; perhaps he did feel guilty anyway. More likely he just felt foolish for not knowing what the place was, like a copper should’ve. You had to admire him though, he hadn’t even looked embarrassed when he’d worked it out. Probably went to them sort of places all the time in Hyde.

Well, it looked like he’d be seeing Sam again tonight; he could apologise then – not with flowers; even women didn’t seem to fall over for you nowadays just for a bunch of flowers. Might be worth it though, just for the look on Tyler’s face.

Gene grinned to himself, then fixed on his “fierce Guv” face as he walked out to face the day. He was quite looking forward to it.

yay, what an awesome conclusion, of course Gene had to go through that identity crisis first but at least it's all sorted by the end. And I like the fact that Sam loves Gene with his heart, as opposed to logically, it really links in with the actual show. I wonder what Sam's reaction would be if Gene accosted him with flowers, probably sex, somehow, or maybe that's just my imagination ;-) Yay, this is such an awesome story. Really well-written. Great job!

I think if Gene brought Sam flowers he would really mean it, but would do it in such a way that they could have a laugh about it. And yes, I think the flowers would be dropped on the floor as they rushed off to the bed.

Thank you for taking the time to read it; I hope you didn't keep people waiting! So glad you enjoyed it, and I hope you have a good Summer. Get yourself round the library now and then for some internet access!

I'm writing a chapter for 'Torn and Broken' a couple of chapters down the line where Gene buys Annie flowers as a thankyou which results in Gene and Sam having sex, but I think that's just Sam's possessive and one-tracked mind, lol.

and the local library doesn't let you on livejournal, but considering how much of a slut this pairing has turned me into, maybe that's not a bad thing ;-)

Ah, Torn and Broken! How can you say long fics are not your forte? I must go back and read through that one again; it had slipped my mind and I've lost track a bit of where it's got to.

I think some of the stuff we read and write on here doesn't quite fall under the rules of clean decent use of the council's PC's! I don't own a printer, because I hardly ever need one, and I just go to the library when I do. However, I would like to get a hard copy of my fics, and I really haven't the nerve to do that at the library.